30/07/2019 (Agence Europe) – On Monday 29 July, the French government announced the setting up of an evaluation committee for the draft agreement between the EU and Mercosur (see EUROPE 12286/3, 12297/9) composed of ten experts in the fields of the environment, trade, agriculture, health, law, social matters and geopolitics. They are responsible for “conducting a full and transparent assessment of the draft agreement”, according to the press release. The report, expected in November 2019, will cover the effects of the treaty on sustainable development, consumer health and land use planning, thus providing “objective insight” into its stakes. The committee will also make recommendations to address the risks identified during its work - as it did for the CETA (see EUROPE 11892/18). Its conclusions will be supplemented by a quantitative impact study and work on sensitive agricultural sectors. (HD)